A firefighter remains in hospital while another has been discharged as a result of burns and smoke inhalation from the fire incident in Lepea on Monday afternoon.

Fire Commissioner Tanuvasa Petone Mauga also confirmed that their investigation found that the fire was due to the burning of rubbish near the buildings.

As the investigation progresses, attention has also been directed towards the well-being of firefighters who were involved in responding to the incident. 

It has been reported by the commissioner that two firefighters are in stable condition, one however has suffered 10 per cent burns on his body.

The names of the firefighters were not released by the commissioner due to privacy reasons. 

"The men did not know they had been burnt until they had to swap teams; this is usually the case with our firefighters during response," said Tanuvasa.

"They were so keen to put out the fire that they forget they are putting their bodies through the heat and exhaustion." 

According to the commissioner, the recent incident and its aftermath have underscored the importance of addressing issues related to waste management and fire prevention in Samoa. 

With authorities emphasising the need for heightened vigilance and public cooperation, it is hoped that concerted efforts will steer the community towards responsible waste disposal practices and limit the risk of similar incidents in the future. 

The site in Lepea is now under maintenance by a group of people who work in the bingo joint. When this newspaper visited the scene on Wednesday, they were cleaning up the mess and hoping to have the area cleared before Friday. 

The site overseer, who chose not to be named, expressed, "Thankfully, we are all safe and no one was hurt." 

They said they were not there when the incident started but had heard of it from their work colleagues later that day. In terms of the cost of damages to the property, a report is underway and will be confirmed once completed. 

The incident has raised concerns about the burning of rubbish, and has led to more awareness from the fire department about burning rubbish, especially as it is the dry season.